DxO: New support for DNG, more lenses(UPDATED)By
Mike Tomkins(Tuesday, January 18, 2005 - 22:19 EST)A press release from French software company DxO Labs has announced that its DxO Raw Engine will be updated to support output to Adobe's DNG "Digital Negative" file format.Availability of the update isn't yet known, but is currently slated for "early 2005". Users of the company's software will be able to process their RAW images in DxO Raw Engine, correcting for common flaws such as softness, distortion, chromatic aberration, and vignetting, and then save the results in DNG format. The files can then be further processed as part of a workflow based around DNG, an Adobe format announced last year which a number of companies have stated plans to support in their own software, or indeed have already begun to offer support for.

The company has also announced that its DxO Optics Pro software has been updated to extend support for Canon, Nikon and Sigma lenses used in cooperation with Canon and Nikon Digital SLRs. For Canon EOS 10D users, support is now available for the Canon EF14mm f/2.8L USM and Sigma 14mm f/2.8 EX Aspherical HSM primes, as well as the Canon EF75-300 mm f/4-5.6 III USM and Canon EF75-300 mm f/4-5.6 III USM zooms. Canon EOS 20D users can now use DxO with their Canon EF14mm f/2.8L USM and Sigma 14mm f/2.8 EX Aspherical HSM primes, whilst Canon EOS 1Ds users get support for the Canon EF14mm f/2.8L USM. Owners of the Canon EOS Digital Rebel / 300D get new support for the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM zoom.

Paris, France, January 5, 2005 - DxO Labs, a software company focused on research in image processing, today announced that future versions of its flagship RAW converter DxO Raw Engine will support Adobe's recently announced DNG (Digital Negative) specification.

DxO Labs' DxO Raw Engine is a key component of DxO Optics PRO a unique software package targeting serious amateur and professional photographers using Digital SLR cameras. A new version of DxO Raw Engine supporting DNG will be available in early 2005.

DxO Optics Pro is the award-winning software application from DxO Labs that automatically improves the quality of images produced by Digital SLR cameras. DxO Raw Engine is a new optional module that works seamlessly within DxO Optics Pro to perform RAW image conversion as well as enabling DxO Optics Pro's image enhancement features to be applied on RAW files in full 16-bit mode.

"Our ambition is to make DxO Raw Engine the future reference RAW converter for the market in terms of image quality and workflow," declared Jerome Meniere, CEO of DxO Labs. "As a member of the RAW community, we believe that open standards are an important way to foster fast-paced innovation that will benefit photo enthusiasts. To this end, we strongly welcome and support Adobe's initiative in promoting more open and documented RAW standards."

"We are pleased that DNG has been so well received by our customers, partners and forward-looking companies like DxO Labs," said Kevin Connor, director of product management for professional digital imaging products at Adobe. "Our intent has always been to help our customers protect their raw files for future use. It is important that we establish a standard that keeps pace with the rapid evolution of digital imaging technology. Clearly, the support of others within the industry is the only way we will be able to effectively address what has become such a critical issue for the photography community."

About DxO Labs and its DxO TechnologyDxO Labs is a software company developing image processing technologies and image quality enhancement solutions. DxO Labs provides reliable, off-the-shelf imaging solutions for serious amateurs and professional photographers, photography journalists and experts as well as companies in the imaging business such as digital camera or cameraphone manufacturers or mobile operators.